A report compiled by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) in response to a request from the Dept. of Energy analyzing the effects that an increase in natural gas exports would have on the U.S. market.
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Effect of Increased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets
1. Effect of Increased Natural Gas
Exports on Domestic Energy
Markets
as requested by the Office of Fossil Energy
January 2012
2. This report was prepared by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the statistical and
analytical agency within the U.S. Department of Energy. By law, EIA’s data, analyses, and forecasts are
independent of approval by any other officer or employee of the United States Government. The views
in this report therefore should not be construed as representing those of the U.S. Department of Energy
or other Federal agencies.
3. Contacts
The Office of Energy Analysis prepared this report under the guidance of John Conti, Assistant
Administrator for Energy Analysis. General questions concerning the report can be directed to Michael
Schaal (michael.schaal@eia.gov, 202/586-5590), Director, Office of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels
Analysis; and Angelina LaRose, Team Lead, Natural Gas Markets Team (angelina.larose@eia.gov,
202/586-6135).
Technical information concerning the content of the report may be obtained from Joe Benneche
(joseph.benneche@eia.gov, 202/586-6132).
U.S. Energy Information Administration | Effects of Increased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets i
4. Preface
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is the statistical and analytical agency within the U.S.
Department of Energy. EIA collects, analyzes, and disseminates independent and impartial energy
information to promote sound policymaking, efficient markets, and public understanding of energy and
its interaction with the economy and the environment. By law, EIA’s data, analyses, and forecasts are
independent of approval by any other officer or employee of the U.S. Government. The views in this
report, therefore, should not be construed as representing those of the Department of Energy or other
Federal agencies.
The projections in this report are not statements of what will happen but of what might happen, given
the assumptions and methodologies used. The Reference case in this report is a business-as-usual trend
estimate, reflecting known technology and technological and demographic trends, and current laws and
regulations. Thus, it provides a policy-neutral starting point that can be used to analyze policy initiatives.
EIA does not propose, advocate, or speculate on future legislative and regulatory changes.
U.S. Energy Information Administration | Effects of Increased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets ii
5. Contents
Contacts ......................................................................................................................................................... i
Preface .......................................................................................................................................................... ii
Contents ....................................................................................................................................................... iii
Tables ........................................................................................................................................................... iv
Figures ........................................................................................................................................................... v
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 1
Analysis approach .................................................................................................................................... 2
Caveats regarding interpretation of the analysis results......................................................................... 3
Representation of natural gas markets ............................................................................................. 3
Macroeconomic considerations related to energy exports and global competition in energy-
intensive industries ........................................................................................................................... 5
Summary of Results ...................................................................................................................................... 6
Impacts overview ..................................................................................................................................... 6
Natural gas prices .................................................................................................................................... 6
Wellhead natural gas prices in the baseline cases (no additional exports) ...................................... 6
Export scenarios—relationship between wellhead and delivered natural gas prices ...................... 7
Export scenarios – wellhead price changes under the Reference case. ........................................... 8
Export scenarios—wellhead price changes under alternative baseline cases.................................. 9
Natural gas supply and consumption .................................................................................................... 10
Supply .............................................................................................................................................. 11
Consumption by sector ................................................................................................................... 11
End-use energy expenditures ................................................................................................................ 14
Natural gas expenditures ................................................................................................................ 14
Electricity expenditures................................................................................................................... 16
Natural gas producer revenues ............................................................................................................. 16
Impacts beyond the natural gas industry .............................................................................................. 17
Total energy use and energy-related carbon dioxide emissions ........................................................... 17
Appendix A. Request Letter ........................................................................................................................ 20
Appendix B. Summary Tables ..................................................................................................................... 28
U.S. Energy Information Administration | Effects of Increased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets iii
6. Tables
Table 1. Change in natural gas expenditures by end use consumers from AEO2011 Reference case with
different additional export levels imposed................................................................................................. 15
Table 2. Cumulative CO2 emissions from 2015 to 2035 associated with additional natural gas export
levels imposed (million metric tons CO2 and percentage) .......................................................................... 19
U.S. Energy Information Administration | Effects of Increased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets iv
7. Figures
Figure 1. Four scenarios of increased natural gas exports specified in the analysis request ....................... 2
Figure 2. Natural gas wellhead prices in the baseline cases (no additional exports) ................................... 7
Figure 3. Natural gas wellhead price difference from AEO2011 Reference case with different additional
export levels imposed ................................................................................................................................... 8
Figure 4. Natural gas wellhead price difference from indicated baseline case (no additional exports) with
different additional export levels imposed................................................................................................... 9
Figure 5. Average change in annual natural gas delivered, produced, and imported from AEO2011
Reference case with different additional export levels imposed ............................................................... 11
Figure 6. Average change in annual electric generation from AEO2011 Reference case with different
additional export levels imposed ................................................................................................................ 13
Figure 7. Average change in annual end-use energy expenditures from AEO2011 Reference case as a
result of additional natural gas exports ...................................................................................................... 14
Figure 8. Average annual increase in domestic natural gas export revenues from indicated baseline case
(no additional exports) with different additional export levels imposed, 2015-2035 ............................... 17
Figure 9. Average annual change from indicated baseline case (no additional exports) in total primary
energy consumed with different additional export levels imposed, 2015-2035........................................ 18
U.S. Energy Information Administration | Effects of Increased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets v
8.
9. Introduction
This report responds to an August 2011 request from the Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy
(DOE/FE) for an analysis of “the impact of increased domestic natural gas demand, as exports.”
Appendix A provides a copy of the DOE/FE request letter. Specifically, DOE/FE asked the U.S. Energy
Information Administration (EIA) to assess how specified scenarios of increased natural gas exports
could affect domestic energy markets, focusing on consumption, production, and prices.
DOE/FE provided four scenarios of export-related increases in natural gas demand (Figure 1) to be
considered:
• 6 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), phased in at a rate of 1 Bcf/d per year (low/slow scenario),
• 6 Bcf/d phased in at a rate of 3 Bcf/d per year (low/rapid scenario),
• 12 Bcf/d phased in at a rate of 1 Bcf/d per year (high/slow scenario), and
• 12 Bcf/d phased in at a rate of 3 Bcf/d per year (high/rapid scenario).
Total marketed natural gas production in 2011 was about 66 Bcf/d. The two ultimate levels of increased
natural gas demand due to additional exports in the DOE/FE scenarios represent roughly 9 percent or 18
percent of current production.
DOE/FE requested that EIA consider the four scenarios of increased natural gas exports in the context of
four cases from the EIA’s 2011 Annual Energy Outlook (AEO2011) that reflect varying perspectives on
the domestic natural gas supply situation and the growth rate of the U.S. economy. These are:
• the AEO2011 Reference case,
• the High Shale Estimated Ultimate Recovery (EUR) case (reflecting more optimistic assumptions
about domestic natural gas supply prospects, with the EUR per shale gas well for new, undrilled
wells assumed to be 50 percent higher than in the Reference case),
• the Low Shale EUR case (reflecting less optimistic assumptions about domestic natural gas
supply prospects, with the EUR per shale gas well for new, undrilled wells assumed to be 50
percent lower than in the Reference case), and
• the High Economic Growth case (assuming the U.S. gross domestic product will grow at an
average annual rate of 3.2 percent from 2009 to 2035, compared to 2.7 percent in the
Reference case, which increases domestic energy demand).
DOE/FE requested this study as one input to their assessment of the potential impact of current and
possible future applications to export domestically produced natural gas. Under Section 3 of the Natural
Gas Act (NGA) (15 U.S.C. § 717b), DOE must evaluate applications to import and export natural gas and
liquefied natural gas (LNG) to or from the United States. The NGA requires DOE to grant a permit unless
it finds that such action is not consistent with the public interest. As a practical matter, the need for DOE
to make a public interest judgment applies only to trade involving countries that have not entered into a
free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States requiring the national treatment for trade in natural
gas and LNG. The NGA provides that applications involving imports from or exports to an FTA country
U.S. Energy Information Administration | Effects of Increased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets 1
10. are deemed to be in the public interest and shall be granted without modification or delay. Key
countries with FTAs include Canada and Mexico, which engage in significant natural gas trade with the
United States via pipeline. A FTA with South Korea, currently the world’s second largest importer of LNG,
which does not currently receive domestically produced natural gas from the United States, has been
ratified by both the U.S. and South Korean legislatures, but had not yet entered into force as of the
writing of this report.
Figure 1. Four scenarios of increased natural gas exports specified in the analysis request
billion cubic feet per day
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035
baseline low/slow low/rapid high/slow high/rapid
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration based on DOE Office of Fossil Energy request letter
Analysis approach
EIA used the AEO2011 Reference case issued in April 2011 as the starting point for its analysis and made
several changes to the model to accommodate increased exports. EIA exogenously specified additional
natural gas exports from the United States in the National Energy Modeling System (NEMS), as the
current version of NEMS does not generate an endogenous projection of LNG exports. EIA assigned
these additional exports to the West South Central Census Division. 1 Any additional natural gas
consumed during the liquefaction process is counted within the total additional export volumes
specified in the DOE/FE scenarios. Therefore the net volumes of LNG produced for export are roughly 10
percent below the gross volumes considered in each export scenario.
Other changes in modeled flows of gas into and out of the lower-48 United States were necessary to
analyze the increased export scenarios. U.S. natural gas exports to Canada and U.S. natural gas imports
from Mexico are exogenously specified in all of the AEO2011 cases. U.S. imports of natural gas from
1
This effectively assumes that incremental LNG exports would be shipped out of the Gulf Coast States of Texas or
Louisiana.
U.S. Energy Information Administration | Effects of Increased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets 2
11. Canada are endogenously set in the model and continue to be so for this study. However, U.S. natural
gas exports to Mexico and U.S. LNG imports that are normally determined endogenously within the
model were set to the levels projected in the associated AEO2011 cases for this study. Additionally, EIA
assumed that an Alaska pipeline, which would transport Alaskan produced natural gas into the lower-48
United States, would not be built during the forecast period in any of the cases in order to isolate the
lower-48 United States supply response. Due to this restriction, both the AEO2011 High Economic
Growth and Low Shale EUR cases were rerun, as those cases had the Alaska pipeline entering service
during the projection period in the published AEO2011.
Caveats regarding interpretation of the analysis results
EIA recognizes that projections of energy markets over a 25-year period are highly uncertain and subject
to many events that cannot be foreseen, such as supply disruptions, policy changes, and technological
breakthroughs. This is particularly true in projecting the effects of exporting significant natural gas
volumes from the United States due to the following factors:
• NEMS is not a world energy model and does not address the interaction between the potential
for additional U.S. natural gas exports and developments in world natural gas markets.
• Global natural gas markets are not integrated and their nature could change substantially in
response to significant changes in natural gas trading patterns. Future opportunities to
profitably export natural gas from the United States depend on the future of global natural gas
markets, the inclusion of relevant terms in specific contracts to export natural gas, as well as on
the assumptions in the various cases analyzed.
• Macroeconomic results have not been included in the analysis because the links between the
energy and macroeconomic modules in NEMS do not include energy exports.
• NEMS domestic focus makes it unable to account for all interactions between energy prices and
supply/demand in energy-intensive industries that are globally competitive. Most of the
domestic industrial activity impacts in NEMS are due to changes in the composition of final
demands rather than changes in energy prices. Given its domestic focus, NEMS does not
account for the impact of energy price changes on the global utilization pattern for existing
capacity or the siting of new capacity inside or outside of the United States in energy-intensive
industries.
Representation of natural gas markets
Unlike the oil market, current natural gas markets are not integrated globally. In today’s markets,
natural gas prices span a range from $0.75 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) in Saudi Arabia to
$4 per MMBtu in the United States and $16 per MMBtu in Asian markets that rely on LNG imports.
Prices in European markets, which reflect a mix of spot prices and contract prices with some indexation
to oil, fall between U.S and Asian prices. Spot market prices at the U.K. National Balancing Point
averaged $9.21 per MMBtu during November 2011.
Liquefaction projects typically take four or more years to permit and build and are planned to run for at
least 20 years. As a result, expectations of future competitive conditions over the lifetime of a project
play a critical role in investment decisions. The current large disparity in natural gas prices across major
U.S. Energy Information Administration | Effects of Increased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets 3
12. world regions, a major driver of U.S. producers’ interest in possible liquefaction projects to increase
natural gas exports, is likely to narrow as natural gas markets become more globally integrated. Key
questions remain regarding how quickly convergence might occur and to what extent it will involve all or
only some global regions. In particular, it is unclear how far converged prices may reflect purely “gas on
gas” competition, a continuing relationship between natural gas and oil prices as in Asia (and to a lesser
extent in Europe), or some intermediate outcome. As an example of the dynamic quality of global gas
markets, recent regulatory changes combined with abundant supplies and muted demands appear to
have put pressure on Europe’s oil-linked contract gas prices.
U.S. market conditions are also quite variable, as monthly average Henry Hub spot prices have ranged
from over $12 to under $3 per MMBtu over the past five years. Furthermore, while projected Henry Hub
prices in the AEO2011 Reference case reach $7.07 per MMBtu in 2035, in the High and Low Shale EUR
cases prices in 2035 range from $5.35 per MMBtu to $9.26 per MMBtu. 2 For purposes of this study, the
scenarios of additional exports posited by DOE/FE in their request do not vary across the different
baseline cases that are considered. In reality, given available prices in export markets, lower or higher
U.S. natural gas prices would tend to make any given volume of additional exports more or less likely.
The prospects for U.S. LNG exports depend greatly on the cost-competitiveness of liquefaction projects
in the United States relative to those at other locations. The investment to add liquefaction capacity to
an existing regasification terminal in the United States is significant, typically several times the original
cost of a regasification-only terminal. However, the ability to make use of existing infrastructure,
including natural gas processing plants, pipelines, and storage and loading facilities means that U.S.
regasification terminals can reduce costs relative to those that would be incurred by a “greenfield” LNG
facility. Many of the currently proposed LNG supply projects elsewhere in the world are integrated
standalone projects that would produce, liquefy, and export stranded natural gas. These projects would
require much more new infrastructure, entailing not only the construction of the liquefaction plant from
the ground up, but also storage, loading, and production facilities, as well pipelines and natural gas
processing facilities.
While the additional infrastructure for integrated standalone projects adds considerably to their cost,
such projects can be sited at locations where they can make use of inexpensive or stranded natural gas
resources that would have minimal value independent of the project. Also, while these projects may
require processing facilities to remove impurities and liquids from the gas, the value of the separated
liquids can improve the overall project economics. On the other hand, liquefaction projects proposed for
the lower-48 United States plan to use pipeline gas drawn from the largest and most liquid natural gas
market in the world. Natural gas in the U.S. pipeline system has a much greater inherent value than
stranded natural gas, and most of the valuable natural gas liquids have already been removed.
Future exports of U.S. LNG depend on other factors as well. Potential buyers may place additional value
on the greater diversity of supply that North American liquefaction projects provide. Also, the degree of
regulatory and other risks are much lower for projects proposed in countries like the United States,
2
All prices in this report are in 2009 dollars unless otherwise noted. For the Low Shale EUR case used in this study
the Henry Hub price in 2035 is $9.75 per MMBtu, slightly higher than in the AEO2011 case with the Alaska pipeline
projected to be built towards the end of the projection period.
U.S. Energy Information Administration | Effects of Increased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets 4
13. Canada, and Australia than for those proposed in countries like Iran, Venezuela, and Nigeria. However,
due to relatively high shipping costs, LNG from the United States may have an added cost disadvantage
in competing against countries closer to key markets, such as in Asia. Finally, LNG projects in the United
States would frequently compete not just against other LNG projects, but against other natural gas
supply projects aimed at similar markets, such as pipeline projects from traditional natural gas sources
or projects to develop shale gas in Asia or Europe.
Macroeconomic considerations related to energy exports and global competition in energy-intensive
industries
Macroeconomic results have not been included in the analysis because energy exports are not explicitly
represented in the NEMS macroeconomic module. 3 The macroeconomic module takes energy prices,
energy production, and energy consumption as inputs (or assumptions) from NEMS energy modules.
The macroeconomic module then calculates economic drivers that are passed back as inputs to the
NEMS energy modules. Each energy module in NEMS uses different economic inputs; however these
economic concepts are encompassed by U.S. gross domestic product (GDP), a summary measure
describing the value of goods and services produced in the economy. 4
The net exports component of GDP in the macroeconomic module, however, does not specifically
account for energy exports. As a result, increases in energy exports generated in the NEMS energy
modules are not reflected as increases in net exports of goods and services in the macroeconomic
module. This results in an underestimation of GDP, all else equal. The components of GDP are
calculated based on this underestimated amount as well, and do not reflect the increases in energy
exports. This is particularly important in the industrial sector, where the value of its output will not
reflect the increased energy exports either.
The value of output in the domestic industrial sector in NEMS depends in general on both domestic and
global demand for its products, and on the price of inputs. Differences in these factors between
countries will also influence where available production capacity is utilized and where new production
capacity is built in globally competitive industries. For energy-intensive industries, the price of energy is
particularly important to utilization decisions for existing plants and siting decisions for new ones. Given
its domestic focus, however, NEMS does not account for the impact of energy price changes on global
utilization pattern of existing capacity or the siting of new capacity inside or outside of the United States
in energy-intensive industries. Capturing these linkages requires an international model of the particular
industry in question, paired with a global macroeconomic model.
3
In the macroeconomic model, energy exports are used in two places: estimating exports of industrial supplies and
materials and estimating energy’s impact on the overall production of the economy. To assess their impact on
overall production, energy exports are included in the residual between energy supply (domestic production plus
imports) and energy demand. This residual also includes changes in inventory.
4
GDP is defined as the sum of consumption, investment, government expenditure and net exports (equal to
exports minus imports).
U.S. Energy Information Administration | Effects of Increased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets 5
14. Summary of Results
Increased natural gas exports lead to higher domestic natural gas prices, increased domestic natural gas
production, reduced domestic natural gas consumption, and increased natural gas imports from Canada
via pipeline.
Impacts overview
• Increased natural gas exports lead to increased natural gas prices. Larger export levels lead to
larger domestic price increases, while rapid increases in export levels lead to large initial price
increases that moderate somewhat in a few years. Slower increases in export levels lead to
more gradual price increases but eventually produce higher average prices during the decade
between 2025 and 2035.
• Natural gas markets in the United States balance in response to increased natural gas exports
largely through increased natural gas production. Increased natural gas production satisfies
about 60 to 70 percent of the increase in natural gas exports, with a minor additional
contribution from increased imports from Canada. Across most cases, about three-quarters of
this increased production is from shale sources.
• The remaining portion is supplied by natural gas that would have been consumed
domestically if not for the higher prices. The electric power sector accounts for the majority of
the decrease in delivered natural gas. Due to higher prices, the electric power sector primarily
shifts to coal-fired generation, and secondarily to renewable sources, though there is some
decrease in total generation due to the higher price of natural gas. There is also a small
reduction in natural gas use in all sectors from efficiency improvements and conservation.
• Even while consuming less, on average, consumers will see an increase in their natural gas and
electricity expenditures. On average, from 2015 to 2035, natural gas bills paid by end-use
consumers in the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors combined increase 3 to 9
percent over a comparable baseline case with no exports, depending on the export scenario and
case, while increases in electricity bills paid by end-use customers range from 1 to 3 percent. In
the rapid growth cases, the increase is notably greater in the early years relative to the later
years. The slower export growth cases tend to show natural gas bills increasing more towards
the end of the projection period.
Natural gas prices
Wellhead natural gas prices in the baseline cases (no additional exports)
EIA projects that U.S. natural gas prices are projected to rise over the long run, even before considering
the possibility of additional exports (Figure 2). The projected price increase varies considerably,
depending on the assumptions one makes about future gas supplies and economic growth. Under the
Reference case, domestic wellhead prices rise by about 57 percent between 2010 and 2035. But
different assumptions produce different results. Under the more optimistic resource assumptions of the
High Shale EUR case, prices actually fall at first and rise by only 36 percent by 2035. In contrast, under
the more pessimistic resource assumptions of the Low Shale EUR case, prices nearly double by 2035.
U.S. Energy Information Administration | Effects of Increased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets 6
15. While natural gas prices rise across all four baseline cases (no additional exports) considered in this
report, it should be noted that natural gas prices in all of the cases are far lower than the price of crude
oil when considered on an energy-equivalent basis. Projected natural gas prices in 2020 range from
$3.46 to $6.37 per thousand cubic feet (Mcf) across the four baseline cases, which roughly corresponds
to an oil price range of $20 to $36 per barrel in energy-equivalent terms. In 2030, projected baseline
natural gas prices range from $4.47 to $8.23 per Mcf in the four baseline cases, which roughly
corresponds to an oil price range of $25 to $47 per barrel in energy-equivalent terms.
Figure 2. Natural gas wellhead prices in the baseline cases (no additional exports)
2009$ per Mcf
10
8
6
4
2
0
2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035
Reference High Shale EUR Low Shale EUR High Economic Growth
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, National Energy Modeling System
Export scenarios—relationship between wellhead and delivered natural gas prices
Increases in natural gas prices at the wellhead translate to similar absolute increases in delivered prices
to customers under all export scenarios and baseline cases. However, delivered prices include
transportation charges (for most customers) and distribution charges (especially for residential and
commercial customers). These charges change to much less of a degree than the wellhead price does
under different export scenarios. As a result, the percentage change in prices that industrial and electric
customers pay tends to be somewhat lower than the change in the wellhead price. The percentage
change in prices that residential and commercial customers pay is significantly lower. Summary statistics
on delivered prices are provided in Appendix B. More detailed results on delivered prices and other
report results can be found in the standard NEMS output tables that are posted online.
U.S. Energy Information Administration | Effects of Increased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets 7
16. Export scenarios – wellhead price changes under the Reference case.
Increased exports of natural gas lead to increased wellhead prices in all cases and scenarios. The basic
pattern is evident in considering how prices would change under the Reference case (Figure 3):
• The pattern of price increases reflects both the ultimate level of exports and the rate at which
increased exports are phased in. In the low/slow scenario (which phases in 6 Bcf/d of exports
over six years), wellhead price impacts peak at about 14% ($0.70/Mcf) in 2022. However, the
wellhead price differential falls below 10 percent by about 2026.
• In contrast, rapid increases in export levels lead to large initial price increases that would
moderate somewhat in a few years. In the high/rapid scenario (which phases in 12 Bcf/d of
exports over four years), wellhead prices are about 36 percent higher ($1.58/Mcf) in 2018 than
in the no-additional-exports scenario. But the differential falls below 20 percent by about 2026.
The sharp projected price increases during the phase-in period reflect what would be needed to
balance the market through changes in production, consumption, and import levels in a
compressed timeframe.
• Slower increases in export levels lead to more gradual price increases but eventually produce
higher average prices, especially during the decade between 2025 and 2035. The differential
between wellhead prices in the high/slow scenario and the no-additional-exports scenario peaks
in 2026 at about 28 percent ($1.53/Mcf), and prices remain higher than in the high/rapid
scenario. The lower prices in the early years of the scenarios with slow export growth leads to
more domestic investment in additional natural gas burning equipment, which increases
demand somewhat in later years, relative to rapid export growth scenarios.
Figure 3. Natural gas wellhead price difference from AEO2011 Reference case with different additional
export levels imposed
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035
low/slow low/rapid high/slow high/rapid
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, National Energy Modeling System
U.S. Energy Information Administration | Effects of Increased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets 8
17. Export scenarios—wellhead price changes under alternative baseline cases
The effect of increasing exports on natural gas prices varies somewhat under alternative baseline case
assumptions about resource availability and economic growth. However, the basic patterns remain the
same: higher export levels would lead to higher prices, rapid increases in exports would lead to sharp
price increases, and slower export increases would lead to slower but more lasting price increases. But
the relative size of the price increases changes with changing assumptions (Figure 4).
Figure 4. Natural gas wellhead price difference from indicated baseline case (no additional exports)
with different additional export levels imposed
Low Shale EUR High Shale EUR
60% 60%
50% 50%
40% 40%
30% 30%
20% 20%
10% 10%
0% 0%
2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035
60% High Economic Growth
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035
low/slow low/rapid high/slow high/rapid
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, National Energy Modeling System
In particular, with more pessimistic assumptions about the Nation’s natural gas resource base (the Low
Shale EUR case), wellhead prices in all export scenarios initially increase more in percentage terms over
the baseline case (no additional exports) than occurs under Reference case conditions. For example, in
the Low Shale EUR case the rapid introduction of 12 Bcf/d of exports results in a 54 percent ($3.23/Mcf)
increase in the wellhead price in 2018; whereas under Reference case conditions with the same export
scenario the price increases in 2018 by only 36 percent ($1.58/Mcf). 5 But the percentage price increase
falls in later years under the Low Shale EUR case, even below the price response under Reference case
conditions. Under Low Shale EUR conditions, the addition of exports ultimately results in wellhead prices
exceeding the $9 per Mcf threshold, with this occurring as early as 2018 in the high/rapid scenario.
5
The percentage rise in prices for the low EUR case also represents a larger absolute price increase because it is
calculated on the higher baseline price under the same pessimistic resource assumptions.
U.S. Energy Information Administration | Effects of Increased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets 9
18. More robust economic growth shows a similar pattern – higher initial percentage price increases and
lower percentage increases in later years. On the other hand, with more optimistic resource
assumptions (the High Shale EUR case), the percentage price rise would be slightly smaller than under
Reference case conditions, and result in wellhead prices never exceeding the $6 per Mcf threshold.
Natural gas supply and consumption
In the AEO2011 Reference case, total domestic natural gas production grows from 22.4 trillion cubic feet
(Tcf) in 2015 to 26.3 Tcf in 2035, averaging 24.2 Tcf for the 2015-2035 period. U.S. net imports of
natural gas decline from 11 percent of total supply in 2015 to 1 percent in 2035, with lower net imports
from Canada and higher net exports to Mexico. The industrial sector consumes an average of 8.1 Tcf of
natural gas (34.2% of delivered volumes) between 2015 and 2035, with 7.1 Tcf, 4.8 Tcf, and 3.6 Tcf
consumed in the electric power, residential, and commercial sectors respectively.
Under the scenarios specified for this analysis, increased natural gas exports lead to higher domestic
natural gas prices, which lead to reduced domestic consumption, and increased domestic production
and pipeline imports from Canada (Figure 5). Lower domestic consumption dampens the degree to
which supplies must increase to satisfy the additional natural gas exports. Accordingly, in order to
accommodate the increased exports in each of the four export scenarios, the mix of production,
consumption, and imports changes relative to the associated baseline case. In all of the export scenarios
across all four baseline cases, a majority of the additional natural gas needed for export is provided by
increased domestic production, with a minor contribution from increased pipeline imports from Canada.
The remaining portion of the increased export volumes is offset by decreases in consumption resulting
from the higher prices associated with the increased exports.
The absolute value of the sum of changes in consumption (delivered volumes), production, and imports
(represented by the total bar in Figure 5) approximately 6 equals the average change in exports. Under
Reference case conditions, about 63 percent, on average, of the increase in exports in each of the four
scenarios is accounted for by increased production, with most of the remainder from decreased
consumption from 2015 to 2035. The percentage of exports accounted for by increased production is
slightly lower in the earlier years and slightly higher in the later years. While this same basic relationship
between added exports and increased production is similar under the other cases, the percentage of
added exports accounted for by increased production is somewhat less under a Low Shale EUR
environment and more under a High Economic Growth environment.
6
The figure displays the changes in delivered volumes of natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial, vehicle
transportation, and electric generation customers. There are also some minor differences in natural gas used for
lease, plant, and pipeline fuel use which are not included.
U.S. Energy Information Administration | Effects of Increased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets 10
19. Figure 5. Average change in annual natural gas delivered, produced, and imported from AEO2011
Reference case with different additional export levels imposed
Export scenarios
trillion cubic feet
5
4
3
2
1
0
-1
-2
Average over Average over Average over
2015-2025 2025-2035 2015-2035
electric consumption industrial consumption other consumption production imports exports
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, National Energy Modeling System
One seeming anomaly that can be seen in Figure 5 is in the 2025 to 2035 timeframe: the decrease in
consumption is somewhat lower in the rapid export penetration relative to the slow export penetration
scenarios. This is largely attributed to slightly lower prices in the later years of the rapid export
penetration scenarios relative to the slow penetration scenarios.
Supply
Increases in natural gas production that contribute to additional natural gas exports from the relative
baseline scenario come predominately from shale sources. On average, across all cases and export
scenarios, the shares of the increase in total domestic production coming from shale gas, tight gas,
coalbed, and other sources are 72 percent, 13 percent, 8 percent, and 7 percent, respectively. Most of
the export scenarios are also accompanied by a slight increase in pipeline imports from Canada. Under
the Low Shale EUR case (which just applies to domestic shale), imports from Canada contribute to a
greater degree than in other cases.
Consumption by sector
In general, greater export levels lead to higher domestic prices and larger decreases in consumption,
although the price and consumption differences across the scenarios narrow in the later part of the
projection period.
Electric power generation
In the AEO2011 Reference case, electric power generation averages 4,692 billion kilowatthours (bkWh)
over the 2015-2035 period. Natural gas generation averages 23 percent of total power generation,
increasing from 1,000 bkWh in 2015 to 1,288 bkWh in 2035. Coal, nuclear, and renewables provide an
U.S. Energy Information Administration | Effects of Increased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets 11
20. average of 43 percent, 19 percent, and 14 percent of generation, respectively, with a minimal
contribution from liquids.
In scenarios with increased natural gas exports, most of the decrease in natural gas consumption occurs
in the electric power sector (Figure 5). Most of the tradeoff in electric generators’ natural gas use is
between natural gas and coal, especially in the early years (Figure 6), when there is excess coal-fired
capacity to allow for additional generation. Over the projection period, excess coal capacity
progressively declines, along with the degree by which coal-fired generation can be increased in
response to higher natural gas prices. 7 Increased coal-fired generation accounts for about 65 percent of
the decrease in natural gas-fired generation under Reference case conditions.
The increased use of coal for power generation results in an average increase in coal production from
2015 to 2035 over Reference case levels of between 2 and 4 percent across export scenarios.
Accordingly, coal prices also increase slightly which, along with higher gas prices, drive up electricity
prices. The resulting increase in electricity prices reduces total electricity demand, also offsetting some
of the drop in natural gas-fired generation. The decline in total electricity demand tends to be less in the
earlier years.
In addition, small increases in renewable generation contribute to reduced natural gas-fired generation.
Relatively speaking, the role of renewables is greater in a higher-gas-price environment (i.e., the Low
Shale EUR case), when they can more successfully compete with coal, and in a higher-generation
environment (i.e., the High Economic Growth case), particularly in the later years.
Industrial sector
Reductions in industrial natural gas consumption in scenarios with increased natural gas exports tend to
grow over time. In general, higher gas prices earlier in the projection period in these scenarios provide
some disincentive for natural gas-fired equipment purchases (such as natural gas-fired combined heat
and power (CHP) capacity) by industrial consumers, which has a lasting impact on their projected use of
natural gas.
7
The degree to which coal might be used in lieu of natural gas depends on what regulations are in-place that might
restrict coal use. These scenarios reflect current laws and regulations in place at the time the AEO2011 was
produced.
U.S. Energy Information Administration | Effects of Increased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets 12
21. Figure 6. Average change in annual electric generation from AEO2011 Reference case with different
additional export levels imposed
Export scenarios
billion kilowatthours
150
100
50
0
-50
-100
-150
-200
Average over Average over Average over
2015-2025 2025-2035 2015-2035
natural gas coal renewables liquids total
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, National Energy Modeling System
Note: Nucleargeneration levels do not change in the Reference case scenarios.
As noted in the discussion of caveats in the first section of this report, the NEMS model does not
explicitly address the linkage between energy prices and the supply/demand of industrial commodities
in global industries. To the extent that the location of production is very sensitive to changes in natural
gas prices, industrial natural gas demand would be more responsive than shown in this analysis.
Other sectors
Natural gas consumption in the other sectors (residential, commercial, and compressed natural gas
vehicles) also decreases in response to the higher gas prices associated with increased exports, although
less significantly than in the electric and industrial sectors. Even so, under Reference case conditions
residential and commercial consumption decreases from 1 to 2 percent and from 2 to 3 percent,
respectively, across the export scenarios, on average from 2015 to 2035. Their use of electricity also
declines marginally in response to higher electricity prices. In response to higher natural gas and
electricity prices, residential and commercial customers directly cut back their energy usage and/or
purchase more efficient equipment.
Exports to Canada and Mexico
If exports to Canada and Mexico were allowed to vary under these additional export scenarios, they
would likely respond similarly to domestic consumption and decrease in response to higher natural gas
prices.
U.S. Energy Information Administration | Effects of Increased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets 13
22. End-use energy expenditures
The AEO2011 Reference case projects annual average end-use energy expenditures of $1,490 billion
over the 2015-2035 period. Of that, $975 billion per year is spent on liquids, $368 billion on electricity
bills, $140 billion on natural gas bills, and $7 billion on coal expenditures.
From an end-user perspective in the scenarios with additional gas exports, consumers will consume less
and pay more on both their natural gas and electricity bill, and generally a little less for liquid fuels
(Figure 7). Under Reference case conditions, increased end-use expenditures on natural gas as a result
of additional exports average about 56 percent of the total additional expenditures for natural gas and
electricity combined. For example, under Reference case conditions in the low/slow scenario, end-use
consumers together are expected to increase their total energy expenditures by $9 billion per year, or
0.6 percent on average from 2015 to 2035. Under the high/rapid scenarios, consumed total energy
expenditures increase by $20 billion per year, or 1.4 percent on average, between 2015 and 2035.
Figure 7. Average change in annual end-use energy expenditures from AEO2011 Reference case as a
result of additional natural gas exports
Export scenarios
billion 2009 dollars
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
-5
-10
Average over Average over Average over
2015-2025 2025-2035 2015-2035
liquids natural gas electricity coal total
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, National Energy Modeling System
Natural gas expenditures
As discussed earlier, given the lower consumption levels in response to the higher prices from increased
exports, the percentage change in the dollars expended by customers for natural gas is less than the
percentage change in the delivered prices. In general, the relative pattern of total end-use expenditures
across time, export scenarios, and cases, is similar to the relative pattern shown in the wellhead prices in
Figures 3 and 4. The higher export volume scenarios result in greater increases in expenditures, while
those with rapid export penetration show increases peaking earlier and at higher levels than their slow
export penetration counterpart, which show bills increasing more towards the end of the projection
U.S. Energy Information Administration | Effects of Increased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets 14
23. period. Under Reference case conditions, the greatest single year increase in total end-use consumer
bills is 16 percent, while the lowest single year increase is less than 1 percent. In all but three export
scenarios and cases, the higher average increase over the comparable baseline scenario in natural gas
bills paid by end-use consumers occurred during the early years. The greatest percentage increase in
end-use expenditures over the comparable baseline level in a single year (26 percent) occurs in the
high/rapid scenario under the Low Shale EUR case.
On average between 2015 and 2035, total U.S. end-use natural gas expenditures as a result of added
exports, under Reference case conditions, increase between $6 billion to $13 billion (between 3 to 9
percent), depending on the export scenario. The Low Shale EUR case shows the greatest average annual
increase in end-use natural gas expenditures over the same time period, with increases over the
baseline (no additional exports) scenario ranging from $7 billion to $15 billion.
At the sector level, since the natural gas commodity charge represents significantly different portions of
each natural gas consuming sector’s bill, the degree to which each sector is projected to see their total
bill change with added exports varies significantly (Table 1). Natural gas expenditures increase at the
highest percentages in the industrial sector, where low transmission and distribution charges constitute
a relatively small part of the delivered natural gas price.
Table 1. Change in natural gas expenditures by end use consumers from AEO2011 Reference case with
different additional export levels imposed
Maximum Minimum
Average Average Average Annual Annual
Sector Scenario 2015-2025 2025-2035 2015-2035 Change Change
Residential low/slow 3.2% 3.3% 3.2% 4.7% 0.5%
Residential low/rapid 4.2% 2.9% 3.6% 5.4% 2.2%
Residential high/slow 4.4% 7.1% 5.6% 8.9% 0.9%
Residential high/rapid 8.3% 5.7% 7.0% 10.9% 2.5%
Commercial low/slow 3.2% 3.2% 3.2% 4.8% 0.6%
Commercial low/rapid 4.3% 2.7% 3.5% 5.8% 2.0%
Commercial high/slow 4.6% 6.9% 5.6% 8.9% 0.9%
Commercial high/rapid 8.3% 5.4% 6.9% 11.4% 2.7%
Industrial low/slow 7.2% 5.8% 6.4% 11.1% 1.2%
Industrial low/rapid 9.4% 4.6% 7.1% 14.0% 3.5%
Industrial high/slow 10.2% 14.7% 12.2% 19.3% 2.0%
Industrial high/rapid 18.7% 10.4% 14.6% 26.9% 5.2%
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, National Energy Modeling System
The results in Table 1 do not reflect changes in natural gas expenditures in the electric power sector. The
projected overall decrease in natural gas use by generators is significant enough to result in a decrease
in natural gas expenditures for that sector, largely during 2015-2025. However, electric generators will
see an increase in their overall costs of power generation that will be reflected in higher electricity bills
for consumers.
U.S. Energy Information Administration | Effects of Increased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets 15
24. Electricity expenditures
On average across the projection period, electricity prices under Reference case conditions increase by
between 0.14 and 0.29 cents per kilowatthour (kWh) (between 2 and 3 percent) when gas exports are
added. The greatest increase in the electricity price occurs in 2019 under the Low Shale EUR case for the
high export/rapid growth export scenario, with an increase of 0.85 cents per kWh (9 percent).
Similar to natural gas, higher electricity prices due to the increased exports reduce end-use consumption
making the percentage change in end-use electricity expenditures less than the percentage change in
delivered electricity prices; additionally, the percentage increase in end-use electricity expenditures will
be lower for the residential and commercial sectors and higher for the industrial sector. Under
Reference case conditions, the greatest single year increase in total end-use consumer electricity bills is
4 percent, while the lowest single year increase is negligible. The greatest percentage increase in end-
use electricity expenditures over the comparable baseline level in a single year (7 percent) occurs in the
high/rapid scenario under the Low Shale EUR case.
On average between 2015 and 2035, total U.S. end-use electricity expenditures as a result of added
exports, under Reference case conditions, increase between $5 billion to $10 billion (between 1 to 3
percent), depending on the export scenario. The High Macroeconomic Growth case shows the greatest
average annual increase in natural gas expenditures over the same time period, with increases over the
baseline (no additional exports) scenario ranging from $6 billion to $12 billion.
Natural gas producer revenues
Total additional natural gas revenues to producers from exports increase on an average annual basis
from 2015 to 2035 between $14 billion and $32 billion over the AEO2011 Reference case, depending on
the export scenario (Figure 8). These revenues largely come from the added exports defining the
scenarios, as well as other exports to Canada and Mexico in the model that see higher prices under the
additional export scenarios, even though the volumes are assumed not to vary. Revenues associated
with the added exports reflect dollars spent to purchase and move the natural gas to the export facility,
but do not include any revenues associated with the liquefaction and shipping process. The Low Shale
EUR case shows the greatest average annual increase in revenues over the 2015 to 2035 time period,
with revenues ranging from over $19 billion to $43 billion, due to the relatively high natural gas
wellhead prices in that case. These figures represent increased revenues, not profits. A large portion of
the additional export revenues will cover the increased costs associated with supplying the increased
level of production required when natural gas exports are increased, such as for equipment (e.g., drilling
rigs) and labor. In contrast, the additional revenues resulting from the higher price of natural gas that
would have been produced and sold to largely domestic customers even in the absence of the additional
exports posited in the analysis scenarios would preponderantly reflect increased profits for producers
and resource owners.
U.S. Energy Information Administration | Effects of Increased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets 16
25. Figure 8. Average annual increase in domestic natural gas export revenues from indicated baseline
case (no additional exports) with different additional export levels imposed, 2015-2035
Export scenarios
billion 2009 dollars
50
40
30
20
10
0
Reference High shale EUR Low shale EUR High Economic Growth
added exports other exports to Canada and Mexico
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, National Energy Modeling System
Impacts beyond the natural gas industry
While the natural gas industry would be directly impacted by increased exports, there are indirect
impacts on other energy sectors. The electric generation industry shows the largest impact, followed by
the coal industry.
As discussed earlier, higher natural gas prices lead electric generators to burn more coal and less natural
gas. Coal producers benefit from the increased coal demand. On average, from 2015 to 2035, coal
minemouth prices, production, and revenues increase by at most 1.1, 5.5, and 6.2 percent, respectively,
across the increased export scenarios applied to all cases.
Domestic petroleum production in the form of lease condensate and natural gas plant liquids also rises
due to increased natural gas drilling. For example, under Reference case conditions, in the scenario with
the greatest overall response (high/rapid exports), total domestic energy production is 4.13 quadrillion
British thermal units (Btu) per year (4.7 percent), which is greater on average from 2015 to 2035 than in
the baseline scenario, while total domestic energy consumption is only 0.12 quadrillion Btu (0.1 percent)
lower.
Effects on non-energy sectors, other than impacts on their energy expenditures, are generally beyond
the scope of this report for reasons described previously.
Total energy use and energy-related carbon dioxide emissions
Annual primary energy consumption in the AEO2011 Reference case, measured in Btu, averages 108
quadrillion Btu between 2015 and 2035, with a growth rate of 0.6 percent. Cumulative carbon dioxide
(CO2) emissions total 125,000 million metric tons for that twenty-year period.
U.S. Energy Information Administration | Effects of Increased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets 17
26. The changes in overall energy consumption across scenarios and cases are largely reflective of what
occurs in the electric power sector. While additional exports result in decreased natural gas
consumption, changes in overall energy consumption are relatively minor as much of the decrease in
natural gas consumption is replaced with increased coal consumption (Figure 9). In fact, in some of the
earlier years total energy consumption increases with added exports since directly replacing natural gas
with coal in electricity generation requires more Btu, as the heat rates (Btu per kWh) for coal generators
exceed those for natural gas generators.
On average from 2015 to 2035 under Reference case conditions, decreased natural gas consumption as
a result of added exports are countered proportionately by increased coal consumption (72 percent),
increased liquid fuel consumption (8 percent), other increased consumption, such as from renewable
generation sources (9 percent), and decreases in total consumption (11 percent). In the earlier years,
the amount of natural gas to coal switching is greater, and coal plays a more dominant role in replacing
the decreased levels of natural gas consumption, which also tend to be greater in the earlier years.
Switching from natural gas to coal is less significant in later years, partially as a result of a greater
proportion of switching into renewable generation. As a result decreased natural gas consumption from
added exports more directly results in decreased total energy consumption via the end-use consumer
cutting back energy use in response to higher prices. This basic pattern similarly occurs under the Low
Shale EUR and High Economic Growth cases – less switching from natural gas into coal and more into
renewable than under Reference case conditions, as well as greater decreases in total energy
consumption as a result of added exports.
Figure 9. Average annual change from indicated baseline case (no additional exports) in total primary
energy consumed with different additional export levels imposed, 2015-2035
Export scenarios
quadrillion Btu
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
-0.5
-1.0
-1.5
-2.0
Reference High shale EUR Low shale EUR High Economic Growth
liquids natural gas coal other total
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, National Energy Modeling System
Note: Other includes renewable and nuclear generation.
While lower domestic natural gas deliveries resulting from added exports reduce natural gas related CO2
emissions, the increased use of coal in the electric sector generally results in a net increase in overall
U.S. Energy Information Administration | Effects of Increased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets 18
27. CO2 emissions. The exceptions occur in environments when renewables are better able to compete
against natural gas and coal. However, when also accounting for emissions related to natural gas used in
the liquefaction process, additional exports increase CO2 levels under all cases and export scenarios,
particularly in the earlier years of the projection period. Table 2 displays the cumulative CO2 emissions
levels from 2015 to 2035 in all cases and scenarios, with the change relative to the associated baseline
case.
Table 2. Cumulative CO2 emissions from 2015 to 2035 associated with additional natural gas export
levels imposed (million metric tons CO2 and percentage)
no added
Case exports low/slow low/rapid high/slow high/rapid
Reference
Cumulative carbon dioxide emissions 125,056 125,699 125,707 126,038 126,283
Change from baseline 643 651 982 1,227
Percentage change from baseline 0.5% 0.5% 0.8% 1.0%
High Shale EUR
Cumulative carbon dioxide emissions 124,230 124,888 124,883 125,531 125,817
Change from baseline 658 653 1,301 1,587
Percentage change from baseline 0.5% 0.5% 1.0% 1.3%
Low Shale EUR
Cumulative carbon dioxide emissions 125,162 125,606 125,556 125,497 125,670
Change from baseline 444 394 335 508
Percentage change from baseline 0.4% 0.3% 0.3% 0.4%
High Economic Growth
Cumulative carbon dioxide emissions 131,675 131,862 132,016 131,957 132,095
Change from baseline 187 341 282 420
Percentage change from baseline 0.1% 0.3% 0.2% 0.3%
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, National Energy Modeling System, with emissions related to
natural gas assumed to be consumed in the liquefaction process included.
U.S. Energy Information Administration | Effects of Increased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets 19
28. Appendix A. Request Letter
U.S. Energy Information Administration | Effects of Increased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets 20
29. U.S. Energy Information Administration | Effects of Increased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets 21
30. U.S. Energy Information Administration | Effects of Increased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets 22
31. U.S. Energy Information Administration | Effects of Increased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets 23
32. U.S. Energy Information Administration | Effects of Increased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets 24
33. U.S. Energy Information Administration | Effects of Increased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets 25
34. U.S. Energy Information Administration | Effects of Increased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets 26
35. U.S. Energy Information Administration | Effects of Increased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets 27
36. Appendix B. Summary Tables
U.S. Energy Information Administration | Effects of Increased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets 28